It is widely reported that Carrie Lam has announced earlier today [September 4] to withdraw the controversial extradition bill, leading some to believe the 3-month protests in Hong Kong have succeeded.
In this statement, we would like to explain why this is not yet the case and to urge the international community to be vigilant in interpreting the announcement.

First, what Carrie Lam announced was NOT an immediate withdrawal of the bill, but only a plan to “move a motion according to the Rules of Procedure when the Legislative Council resumes” which will be in mid-October. We urge the international community to keep an eye on the development, as breaking promises is not uncommon in Hong Kong politics, nor is it a political suicide given the lack of democratic representation in Hong Kong.

It should also be highlighted that the withdrawal of the extradition bill is only one of the five demands of the protesters, which have been made clear since June. Apart from the withdrawal of the bill, Carrie Lam has made no concessions on the other four demands.
She insisted on relying on the existing Independent Police Complaints Council (IPCC) to investigate police conduct, though it lacks independence and sufficient legal power to summon witnesses and does not offer protection to the victims and witnesses.
As evidenced by surveys conducted by the PORI and CUHK, around 80% of citizens agree on establishing an independent committee of inquiry into police brutality and 95% of protesters deem the aforementioned demand very important. Ignoring the 4 other demands, Carrie Lam’s reply falls far short of our expectations. It appears the withdrawal announcement serves merely to divert attention, especially since it comes just a few days after the police stormed a metro station and indiscriminately attacked passengers which resulted in multiple injuries.

It took 3 months of countless protests, 8 suicides and numerous injuries from police brutality and mob attacks to make the Government withdraw a bill. To solve the root of the problems, to resolve the unrest in the city, and to avoid future civil unrest driven by bad decision-making of the Government, we need a political reform for real universal suffrage for both executive and legislative elections, to hold the Government accountable for her mistakes and to establish a legitimate and efficient mechanism for conflict resolution.
We urge the Government to respond to the other 4 demands of the protesters and ensure that the extradition bill will be withdrawn in October.

We stand in solidarity with the Hong Kong protesters. Five demands, not one less.

Comité pour la Liberté à Hongkong

For the full list of demands, visit the section “Nos Revendications” on our website: https://sites.google.com/view/librehk.
https://www.facebook.com/solidaritywithhk/

References:
https://www.pori.hk/report/antiextraditionbillfreq
https://www.pori.hk/antiextrationbillreporteng
http://www.com.cuhk.edu.hk/…/ENG_antielab%20survey%20public…